The Other Dog Race

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) —
Poor snow conditions have forced
organizers to postpone the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon in
northeastern Minnesota.
The race had been scheduled to start Jan. 27. It's now postponed until March 10.
Race coordinator Pat Olson tells the Duluth News Tribune that the trail is "terrible."
Olson says organizers are hoping for
snow by March 10. If it doesn't snow, the race could face only its
third cancellation ever.
A lack of snow caused the Beargrease
board of directors to cancel last year's races. It also was canceled
in 2007.

When one of the longest and most-respected dogsled races in the lower 48
was run January 30 through February 2, it included a tribute to the
Ojibwe man for whom it is named. The 390-mile John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon
honors the mail-carrier who braved appalling weather and questionable
trails to deliver mail at the turn of the 20th century, traveling by dog
team or by boat the 90 miles between Two Harbors and Grand Marais along
the sometimes treacherous shoreline of Lake Superior.